According to a product advisory published by Intel via their QDMS last week, the 9th Generation Core X Series "Skyale-X" CPUs have finally reached their End of Life period. The models, which include desktop and Xeon workstation variants based on the same generational architecture, have effectively been supplanted by 10th Generation Core X processors since Fall 2019 but remained on sale and in retailer inventories.

Despite the foreboding headline Intel's process for EoLing a product is a lengthy one. The Product Change Notification dated July 9th 2020 notes that 'Product Discontinuance Program Support Begins', effectively a heads-up to Intel's customers that final orders are now due. These orders need to be placed before October 9th (the 'Product Discontinuance Demand To Local Intel Representative' date), and final product shipments will be made on or before July 9th 2021. The phased process ensure that retailers and system integrators with products requiring any or all of these processors can fulfil orders remaining on the books and provide fast warranty support.

Intel's 9th Generation processors were launched in 2018 and beset by competition from AMD's 2nd and 3rd Gen. Ryzen processors that offered more physical cores and threads than Intel Core X range. Intel's long-term record of reliability mitigated against the worst inroads into their market share, but the Core X range were increasingly outmatched technologically. The 10th Generation Core X processors, based on a similar underlying architecture but with vastly improved $/core, effectively hammered the final nail into their coffin.



SOURCE: Intel QDMS Product Advisory